Architectural panel system

ABSTRACT

An architectural panel system comprising a plurality of rectangular panels which position in side by side juxtaposed relation for enclosure purposes. Each panel is fabricated of relatively lightweight construction materials and is provided at its bottom edge with a plurality of spaced slots which are elongated in a direction parallel to the front and rear faces of the panel to permit limited longitudinal adjustment of each panel with respect to its bottom fastening at time of installation. The top end of each panel is provided with a plurality of spaced, threaded bolts which respectively position in a plurality of spaced receiving slots which are provided in the upper panel framing members for panel securing purposes. The receiving slots are transversely disposed with relation to the bottom panel slots and open rearwardly to receive the spaced bolts therein as each panel is pivoted to vertical position. The upper panel framing members secure to the building construction in bolted connections having longitudinal slots to thereby permit limited longitudinal adjustment of each framing member.

United States Patent 1 Tofani, Jr.

[451 July 3, 1973 1 1 ARCHITECTURAL PANEL SYSTEM [76] Inventor: ArthurM. Tol'anl,Jr., 1801 Pine St.,

' Philadelphia. Pa. 19103 [22] Filed: Aug. 9, 1971 [21] Appl. No.:170,092

Primary Examiner-Price C. Faw, Jr. AltorneyLouis Necho l 5 7 1 ABSTRACTAn architectural panel system comprising a plurality of rectangularpanels which position' in side by side juxtaposed relation for enclosurepurposes. Each panel is fabricated of relatively lightweightconstruction materi als and is provided at its bottom edge with aplurality of spaced slots which are elongated in a direction parallel tothe front and rear faces of the panel to permit limited longitudinaladjustment of each panel with respect to its bottom fastening at time ofinstallation. The top end of each panel is provided with a plurality ofspaced, threaded bolts which respectively position in a plurality ofspaced receiving slots which are provided in the upper panel framingmembers for panel securing purposes. The receiving slots aretransversely disposed with relation to the bottom panel slots and openrear wardly to receive the spaced bolts therein as each panel is pivotedto vertical position. The upper panel framing members secure to thebuilding construction in bolted connections having longitudinal slots tothereby permit limited longitudinal adjustment of each framing member.

2 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures ARCHITECTURAL PANEL SYSTEM BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the field ofbuilding construction and more particularly is directed to prefabricatedconstruction members suitable for space enclosing purposes which may beeasily and permanently assembled on the job site.

The art of building construction has traditionally employed conventionalconstruction materials such as brick, stone, wood, metal, concrete andvarious interior finishing materials such as plaster, gypsum wallboardand various types of moldings. A great fund of information and buildingtechnology has been developed by prior workers in the field relating touse of various previously available building materials. More recently,building codes and other construction control legislation have beenpromulgated and adopted by various regulatory agencies to regulate andsupervise building practices within various communities. These codes andother legislation are generally directed to regulate various parametersof building construction such as size of buildings, location ofbuildings, design of buildings with regard to certain specified safetystandards, materials of construction for both interior and exterior use,structural safety, safety from fire, and other such considerations.

Coupled with the greater interest in building construction materials,building designs and other regulatory practices, the actual cost ofconstruction is of primary interest. Unique qualities are possessed bysubstantially every building and each structure must be individuallydesigned by competent architects and engineers and individually craftedby workers highly skilled in their field. Because of the increasingawareness of architects, engineers, building officials, insurancecarriers and others in safety practices and in suitable constructionstandards, the increasing complexity of design and construction coupledwith increasing costs of building materials has resulted in steadilyrising building construction costs. The cost of skilled labor has alsoincreased accordingly, all of which have combined to rapidly increasebuilding construction costs.

It has been found that the cost of skilled and unskilled constructionlabor has greatly out-distanced other increasing building costs andtherefore, most prior workers engaged in the design of buildings haveattempted to control construction costs by simplifying fabricationprocedures and reducing material expenses to as great an extent aspossible in order to minimize the actual time requirement during thebuilding construction process. Prior workers have proceeded alongseveral paths in various attempts to reduce construction labor costs.Such techniques have included the design of modular structures,prefabricating portions of the walls or other members, employing largerconstruction members to reduce field fabrication time, adaptingheretofore unused materials within code limitations, etc. The largerconstruction members usually include quarried materials such as graniteand marble, or castconcrete or stone shapes. Such members are costly infabrication and because of their weight, present problems in handlingand installation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the generalfield of fabricated building materials, and more particularly, is

directed to an architectural panel system incorporating a plurality ofsimilar, readily fabricated and easily installed panels suitable forbuilding enclosure purposes.

The present invention incorporates a plurality of aestheticallypleasing, similar panels which may be easily fabricated by employingreadily available construction materials including metal studs,insulation, metal lath and plaster. Each panel is fabricated with aperipheral metal stud frame which is provided with a plurality ofspaced, elongate slots at the bottom thereof for positioning overco-operating sill-supported, spaced, vertical pins. The elongate slotspermit limited longitudinal adjustment of each panel with relation tothe fixed sill for adjustment purposes at time of installation. Theupper end of each panel includes a plurality of spaced, upwardlyprojecting, threaded bolts which insert into a plurality ofco-operating, spaced, elongated receiving openings provided in the upperpanel framing construction. The panel receiving openings open rearwardlyand are transversely disposed with regard to the said bottom elongateslots to receive the threaded bolts therein. It is an additional featureof the invention to mount the upper panel framing construction in amanner to permit limited longitudinal adjustment to facilitate panelalignment and installation.

The various panels arrange in horizontally juxtaposed position in edgeto edge relation and respectively secure to the sill anchor pins and tothe upper panel framing receiving openings. Each panel is similarlyformed of readily available construction materials and is fabricated torectangular configuration by employing 21 peripheral frame of wideflange metal studs which are cut to the desired size and spot welded. Aplurality of spaced interior vertical studs extend between the top andbottom of each panel for strengthening purposes. Transverse bridgingmembers connect the interior studs and the peripheral frame studs toform a strong, unitary panel construction that is unusually light inweight for its size. When it is desired to employ the panels forexterior use, the interior space defined by the peripheral frame can beinsulated by applying batts of glass fibers or other similar insulatingmaterial in conventional manner. Metal lath is then applied over eachside of the panel and is secured to the framing members in well-knownmanner such as by tack welding. The application of the metal lathfurther serves to strengthen the panel in addition to forming a surfacefor receipt of plaster or similar material in well-known manner. Afinishing material then applies over the metal lath in conventionalmanner to provide a finished appearing, lightweight, relativelyinexpensive, prefabricated structural panel. The finishing materialapplied over the metal lath may be of any suitable material such ascement plaster, gypsum plaster, or other substance suitable forapplication over lath. In this manner, it is contemplated that anyparticularly desired architectural finish may be directly applied to thepanels to produce the desired architectural appearance of the system. Itwill be appreciated that various construction materials are now knownand may be readily employed for this purpose. Additionally, should coloror texture be a consideration, such color or texture may be readilybuilt into the panels at time of fabrication by utilizing knowntechniques.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide animproved, novel architectural panel system of the type set forth.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novelarchitectural panel system incorporating a plurality of prefabricated,lightweight panels which may be employed in side by side relation toreadily lend any desired architectural appearance to a wall system.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novelarchitectural panel system incorporating a plurality of similarrectangular panels which may be easily prefabricated of readilyavailable construction materials.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novelarchitectural panel system incorporating a plurality of panels whichsecurely fasten and lock into position in a manner requiring a minimumof field construction time.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novelarchitectural panel system which includes a plurality of similarprefabricated panels, each panel being provided at the bottom thereofwith a plurality of elongated slots and at the top thereof, a pluralityof upwardly extending threaded bolts for panel-connection purposes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelarchitectural panel system including a plurality of identical panels,each of which is provided with bottom connecting means permittinglimited longitudinal adjustment at time of installation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novelarchitectural panel system including a plurality of similarprefabricated panels, each of which is provided with integral connectingmeans and each of which is further provided with insulating means andheating means to develop a self-contained, prefabricated, highlyefficient exterior wall system.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novelarchitectural panel system that is inexpensive in manufacture, simple inconstruction, and trouble-free when in use.

Other objects and a better understanding of the invention will be had byreferring to the following description and claims thereof taken intoconjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like referencecharacters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and inwhich:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, external,side elevational view of a building employing an architectural panelsystem in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along line 2 2 of FIG.1, between adjacent panels, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, detailed view of Area 3 of FIG. 2, showinggreater detail.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, detailed view of Area 4 of FIG. 2 showing greaterdetail.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, exploded, perspective view of the elementsillustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, exploded, perspective view of the elementsshown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, perspective, enlarged view of the connectionbetween adjacent panels.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view taken along line 8 8 of FIG. 7, looking in thedirection of the arrows.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a single panel, partially brokenaway to show the details of interior construction.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along line 10 10 ofFIG. 9 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along line 11 ll ofFIG. 9, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged, fragmentary, exploded view showing the variouselements of the panel of FIG. 13.

FIG. 13 is a side elevational view ofa modified panel, partially brokenaway to show details of internal construction.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along line 14 14looking in the direction of the arrows and showing one grill in explodedrelation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Althoughspecific terms are used in the following description for the sake ofclarity, these terms are in tended to refer only to the particularstructure of my invention selected for illustration in the drawings, andare not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, I show in FIG. 1 an architectural panelsystem generally designated 10 fabricated in accordance with theteachings of the present invention to form a wall of a building whichmay be an exterior wall. The architectural panel system 10 comprises aplurality of similar individual panels 12 which are all of the same typeand which may be varied in width if necessary to fully complete the wallbeing constructed.

Each panel 12 includes a top 14, a bottom 16, a right side 18 and a leftside 20 which all lie in the same vertical plane to define a rectangularpanel means 12. The top 14 of each panel 12 is provided with a pluralityof spaced, upwardly projecting, threaded bolts 22 which serve to secureeach panel in position as hereinafter more fully set forth. The bottom16 of each panel 12 is provided with a plurality of spaced elongatedslots 24 which co-operate with the sill fixed anchor studs 26 tosecurely lock the panel bottom in the desired location in the mannerhereinafter more fully set forth.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 5, the plurality of spaced, elongatedbottom slot means 24 which are provided in the panel bottom 16, registerabove the plurality of spaced panel bottom securing means in form ofanchor studs 26 which project upwardly from the permanent sill 28. Wheninstalling each panel 12, the elongated slots 24 position over therespective anchor studs 26 to allow limited longitudinal movement of thepanel 12 with respect to the fixed sill means 28 for panel adjustingpurposes. In accordance with well known principles of buildingconstruction, the anchor studs 26 and slots 24 are positioned apart adistance sufficient for panel securing purposes and are also positionedto permit adjacent panels to have their respective right and left sides18, 20, in abutting relation to form a continuous solid wallconstruction. The anchor studs 26 may be affixed to the sill 28 in wellknown manner such as by welding or alternately, the anchor studs 26 mayhave a bottom extension 30 extend through the sill 28 for embedding intothe concrete footing 32 which serves as the base for the entirearchitectural panel system.

As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, the top 14 of each individual panel 12 isprovided with a plurality of projection means in the form of threadedbolts 22 which may be welded, bolted, or otherwise affixed to the topconstruction 14 in suitable manner to provide a firm connectiontherewith. The threaded bolts 22 project upwardly beyond the horizontalplane defined by the top 14 and serve to secure each panel 12 inassembled position in co-operation with the upper wall framing means 34.The upper wall framing means 34 is preferably formed of elongate angleiron and. secures to a portion of the building structural frame 36 bymeans of the cooperating angle frame member 38. The horizontal leg I 40of the upper wall framing member 34 is rearwardly provided with aplurality of panel top securing means in the form of transverselyextending slots 42 which open rearwardly to receive the spaced, threadedbolts 22 therein for panel securing purposes. By positioning the panelslots 24 over the sill affixed studs 26, each panel 12 may be rotatedabout the bottom connection until the threaded bolts 22 respectivelyenter the upper transverse slots 42. The limited relative movementbetween each panel 12 and the sill affixed anchor studs 26 permitted bythe elongate slots 24 serves to permit limited longitudinal adjustmentof the panel 12 to thereby facilitate aligning the threaded bolts 22with the transverse slots 42.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, it will be observed that the co-operatingframe member 38 immovably affixes to the structural building system 36by means of the bolted connection 44. The upper wall framing member 34has limited longitudinal movement with respect to the co-operating framemember 38 by providing elongated slots 46 in the vertical leg 52 of theupper wall framing member 34. The threaded studs 48 affix to thevertical leg 50 of the co-operating frame member 38 and insert throughthe elongated slots 46 which are formed in the vertical leg 52 of theupper wall framing member. In this manner, limited longitudinaladjustment between the fixed co-operating frame member 38 and the upperwall framing member 34 may be readily provided. When it has beendetermined that the transverse slots 42 are properly aligned with thethreaded bolts 22 of the panel section 12, the upper wall framing member34 may be secured in the proper respective position to the co-operatingframe member 38 by utilizing nuts 54 which are threadedly engaged uponthe studs 48 in well known manner.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 8, the junction 56 between adjacent panels12, 12a, preferably is fabricated by employing strips of weathertightmaterial such as elongate strips of polyfoam gasket 58 which positionnear the interior panel surface 60 and the exterior panel surface 62.The inwardly facing edge of the junction 56 preferably is additionallysealed by employing a suitable construction sealant 64 which may beapplied in well known manner such as by a calking-gun to completely fillthe junction interiorly of the polyfoam gasket material 58. On theexterior panel surface side 62, a permanent junction may be convenientlyprovided by employinga sheet metal filler 66 which securely connects tothe panel construction by means of a plurality of vertically spacedmetal fasteners 68. When desired for decorative purposes, a decorativecover 70 may be employed to fill the entire area between the exteriorplastered surfaces 72 of the adjacent panels 12, 12a. The decorativecover 70 may be affixed to the panels 12, 12a, by employing any suitablehidden fastening technique which is well known in the art, such asadhesives. In this manner, a completely finished panel wall constructioncan be readily provided which requires no additional expenditures forfinishing processes such as painting or other exterior decorativetechniques. In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the space74 defined by the decorative cover 70, the adjacent panel exteriorplaster surfaces 72 and the sheet metal filler 66 may be utilized as avertical chase for running electrical conduit 71, small pipes, or othersimilar construction materials in a manner to completely conceal themfrom view.

Referring now to FIGS. 9, 10, and 11, an individual panel 12 isillustrated which is preferably rectangular in configuration and whichmay be prefabricated by employing readily available constructionmaterials. The panel 12 is defined by a peripheral frame comprising atop 14, a panel bottom 16, a right side 18, and a left side 20. Theperipheral frame is preferably fabricated of six inch wide flange metalstud material of conventional design of the type usually employed forinterior metal stud wall systems, such as sixteen gauge, galvanizedsteel. The junctions at the corners 76 may be spot-welded or otherwisemade in conventional manner to form a unitary structure. A plurality ofvertical interior studs 78 extend between the top 14 and the bottom 16and connect thereto in the usual manner. Preferably, the interior studs78 are formed of six inch standard galvanized steel studs of eighteengauge stock. Cross bracing 80 as may be required for strengtheningpurposes, connects between adjacent interior studs 78 and the right andleft sides 18, 20, to form a sturdy, rigid panel construction. Metallath 82 which may be Milcor smalmesh lath, is tack welded to theinterior and exterior surfaces of the panel framing members 14, l6, 18,20, 78, and 80, to receive a plaster or similar finish in conventionalmanner.

During the panel fabrication process, the threaded bolts 22 are affixedto the panel top member 14 and project upwardly therefrom. The panelbottom 16 is drilled or otherwise treated to provide a plurality ofelongated slots 24 as hereinbefore described. When the structural studs78, 80, are assembled and the metal lath 82 is positioned, the interiorand exterior finishing materials 84, 86, can then be applied. Ifnecessary for heating purposes, an insulating material 88, such asdouble-thick batts of glass fibers insulation, is applied within thespace defined between the metal lath layers 82. The interior andexterior finishing materials 84, 86, may be of any desired texture tomeet the needs of a particular job requirement. Additionally, thematerial could be colored in well known manner if so desired. Forexample, the exterior surface 86 could be a cement plaster finish andthe interior finish material 84 could be a plasticized stucco finish. Itwill be appreciated that various finishing materials may be troweled onor otherwise applied to the metal lath 82 to form a weather resistant,aesthetically pleasing, and structurally sound architectural panel.

Referring now to FIGS. l2, l3, and 14, I show a modified architecturalpanel 90 which is generally fabricated similarly to the individualpanels 12 by employing a panel top 14, a panel bottom 16, and theinterconnecting right side, left side, panel sections 18, 20. The toppanel 14 is provided with a plurality of spaced threaded bolts 22 in themanner hereinbefore set forth, and the bottom panel section is providedwith the plurality of longitudinally extending, spaced slots 24 forpanel installation purposes. A plurality of vertically arranged interiorstuds 78 position in'teriorly of the panel and define a plurality oflongitudinal channels 92 therebetween for air movement purposes.Insulating material 88 is employed within the panel beneath the exteriorfinish material 86 for insulation against exterior environmentalconditions. The vertical channels 92 position adjacent the interiorfinish material 86 and permit the panels 90 be employed for heatingpurposes.

A length of tubing 94 pierces the right and left panel sides 18, 20,above the panel bottom 16 for conveying a heating medium such as hotwater or steam in well known manner. Preferably, a plurality of fins 96affix to the tubing 94 in well known manner to provide extended heatingsurfaces such as commonly employed in finned tube radiation systems. Alower grill 98 inserts through the interior finish material 84 and isprovided with a plurality of vertical and horizontal grill bars 100 inwell known manner to readilypermit heat from the heating components 94,96, to pass therethrough. Similarly, an upper opening 102 is provided inthe interior finish material 84 beneath the panel top member 14 toreceive the upper grill 104 therein in conventional manner. The verticalchannels 94 which are defined between the vertical interior studs 78communicate between the upper grill 104 and the lower grill 98 andencourage air circulation therebetween to thus provide a relativelyefficient finned tube heating system. The right and left ends 106, 108,of the heating tubing 94 preferably are finished in a joint such as aslip joint to permit easy, leakproof connection with the heating tubingof the adjacent panels in conventional manner to thus permit the heatingsystem to be fabricated at the same time the architectural panel systemis being assembled.

What I claim is:

1. In an architectural panel system employing a plurality of similarlyformed panels'for fabricating a wall construction, the combination of A.sill means defining the bottom of the said wall construction,

1. said sill means incorporating panel bottom securing means,

2. said panel bottom securing means including a plurality of anchorstuds, the said studs projecting upwardly;

B. upper wall framing means in registry above the sill means .anddefining the top of the said wall construction 1. said upper wallframing means including panel top securing means,

2. said panel top securing means including a plurality of slottedopenings,

a. said slotted openings being elongated and extending transversely tothe longitudinal extension of the wall construction;

C. panel means extending between the sill means and the upper wallframing means,

1. said panel means having bottom slot means cooperating with the saidpanel bottom securing means,

a. said bottom slot means including a plurality of openings,

b. said studs projecting into the openings for panel securing purposes,

0. said openings being elongated slots, the slots extending in adirection parallel to the wall construction whereby each panel isrendered longitudinally adjustable with respect to the sill.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the upper wall framing means isprovided with space above the said slotted, elongated openings wherebysecuring nuts may be threadedly engaged upon the projecting means abovethe said panels.

1. In an architectural panel system employing a plurality of similarlyformed panels for fabricating a wall construction, the combination of A.sill means defining the bottom of the said wall construction,
 1. saidsill means incorporating panel bottom securing means,
 2. said panelbottom securing means including a plurality of anchor studs, the saidstuds projecting upwardly; B. upper wall framing means in registry abovethe sill means and defining the top of the said wall construction 1.said upper wall framing means including panel top securing means, 2.said panel top securing means including a plurality of slotted openings,a. said slotted openings being elongated and extending transversely tothe longitudinal extension of the wall construction; C. panel meansextending between the sill means and the upper wall framing means, 1.said panel means having bottom slot means cooperating with the saidpanel bottom securing means, a. said bottom slot means including aplurality of openings, b. said studs projecting into the openings forpanel securing purposes, c. said openings being elongated slots, theslots extending in a direction parallel to the wall construction wherebyeach panel is rendered longitudinally adjustable with respect to thesill.
 2. said panel bottom securing means including a plurality ofanchor studs, the said studs projecting upwardly; B. upper wall framingmeans in registry above the sill means and defining the top of the saidwall construction
 2. said panel top securing means including a pluralityof slotted openings, a. said slotted openings being elongated andextending transversely to the longitudinal extension of the wallconstruction; C. panel means extending between the sill means and theupper wall framing means,
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the upperwall framing means is provided with space above the said slotted,elongated openings whereby securing nuts may be threadedly engaged uponthe projecting means above the said panels.